Precast insulated concrete wall panels are well known in the art and offer a number of advantages for residential and commercial building construction. These advantages include shorter construction schedules, improved thermal resistance, improved quality control, and enhanced durability. However, conventional concrete wall panels are heavy, thus increasing the cost of transporting the panels from the precasting plant to the job site. The large weight of the panels often times requires multiple loads to be delivered to the job site, thereby resulting in potential delays during loading, transportation, and unloading. The large weight also requires the use of an expensive, heavy crane for panel installation.
Insulated concrete wall panels with cavities are also known in the art. These wall panels include inner and outer concrete layers, or wythes, with an internal insulation layer and an air gap provided between the concrete layers, so as to be lighter weight than solid walls of the same thickness. Such hollow insulated wall panels are made by separate castings of the first and second concrete layers, with the first concrete layer being completely cured or hardened before the second concrete layer is poured. This construction method involves long delays and increased costs for the production process.
Furthermore, the prior art concrete wall panels are normally butted side to side with additional panels so as to form a wall structure. However, such a butt joint is not interlocked and thereby complicates the assembly process. In addition, the prior art concrete wall panels are constructed using metallic connectors with high thermal conductives.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved method of forming concrete wall panels.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved hollow concrete wall panel.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a lightweight insulated wall panel useful in forming an integral concrete wall structure.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a hollow concrete wall panel wherein the inner and outer concrete layers are cured substantially simultaneously.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of precast wall panels which can be loaded, transported, unloaded, and assembled at the construction site using lightweight construction equipment.
Another objective of the present invention is an improved wall system that can be quickly and easily assembled at the construction site.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a quick and easy method of a precasting concrete wall panels.
A still further objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved concrete wall panel with a high degree of thermal insulation.
A further objective of the present invention is an improved concrete wall panel which is economical to manufacture and durable and safe in use.
These and other objectives become apparent from the following description of the invention.